Phonograph sound-box



C. H. SHAW.

PHQMDGRAPH SOUND BOX.

,mummenfuen ocr. 29, 1919.

1,347,059, Patented July 20, 1926.

/ y v E (j l' '1 A l f Y 0 @ya W www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

rHoNoGRArH soenna-Box.

l KVspecification of Lettersratent.

Application led October 29, 1919. Serial No. 334,105.

VTo all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CI-IAnLns H.v SHAW, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Babylon, in the county of Suffolk and State Vof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Phonograph Sound-Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

As is well known, phonographic records are of two general classes,-one known as hill-and-dale, in which the undulations of the sound record are perpendicular to the surface, and the otherknown as laterally cut, in which the unvdulations are parallel to the surface,jor transverse to the groove:

VAsa result, re'producers (or sound-boxes,

as they are frequently called)'designed'for one type of record are not inherently adaptedjrfor use with the othertype, andl accordingly numerous attempts have'been made-to Vprovide a sound-box which by suitableY adjustment 'can be used with both types. So

far as I am aware, the prior devices for the purpose have'all involved shifting or turning the sound-box itself, or shifting the needle to, a different holder, or` using a spe- Such expedients are inconvenient, however, and in consequence none of them has come =into very extensive use. VI have therefore been led to devise my present invention, which has for its chief object to providea sound-box or reproducer which will play either type of record without change or adjustment of any kind whatsoever.

In carrying out my .invention in the pre ferred manner I provide a diaphragm and diaphragin'chamber, asusual, andon the edge of the latter I mount two spring soundarms, preferably at right vangles to each other, extending into engagement with the diaphragm at the center of the latter, and diametrically opposite to these I provide two shorter spring arms which do not engage vthe diaphragm. :BelowV these four arms I mountv on the chamber a rigid mem- I ber or carrier, inl which the needle-holder is spring-supported.` The lneedle holder is suitably lconnected to the four 'spring arms, so that it is supported partly by the latter and partly'by the rigid carrier. In use the device is arranged'. with the diaphragm downward and slightly inclined, and with one sound-arm radial to the disk-record or parallel to the axis of a cylindrical record.

The other sound-arm is'therefore in a .ver-

Patented July 20, 1920.

tical plane which is practically tangent to Y therecord groove. Then with a lateral record the first sound-arm actuates the diaphragm, whereas with a hill-and-dale record the second or tangent arm actuates the diaphragm.

rIhe embodiment above outlined is illustra-ted in the accompanying drawing in whi@h Figure 1 is a side view of the sound-box. attached to the tone arm of ay phonograph or talking machine, and arranged in position for playing. In dotted lines the sound-box is shown turned up to a convenient position for changing the needle.

VF ig. 2 is a cross section of the sound-box on a larger scale, taken on a plane indicated substantially by the line 2 of Fig. 3.

on line 4 -4 of Fig. k2.

-F ig. 5 is a .fragmentary bottom plan view of the cent-ral portion of the diaphragm, illustrating the button with which the sound-arms engage.

If ig. 6 is a detail sectional view.

The vdiaphragm chamber has a heavy rim or wall 10 provided with a flange 11 by which the rubber rings 12 and the interposed diaphragm 13 are held in position. The back of the chamber provided witha curved neck 14, which is removably and rotatably tted to the swinging tone arm 15.

On the center ofthe diaphragm is a button 16, having in` its face a cruciform groove, that is, two grooves, 17, 18, Fig. 5, crossing at right angles, and fixedly connected t0 the rim 10 by their outer lends are two spring sound-arms 19, 20, extending radially inward at right angles to each other and preferably about parallel tothe diaphragm. The pointed inner ends of the sound-arms are bent upwardly and bear in the grooves 17, 1S, respectively, of the button 16, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2. Dia- A metrically opposite to the sound-arms are Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the'sound l shaped carrier2t having four radial legs 25 firmly fixed at their ends to the rim 10 in any convenient manner, as by means of,

lugs 26, at points between the aforesaid arms; At the center of the carrier 1s a button 27 having a. downwardly'open fre-V cess 28.

Below the carrier 2efis an axial needleholder .29,havingf at its top or Vinner end four radialv fingers 31, 32, 33, 3e, immedrV ately underthe four spring arms 19, 20, 21,

.22, respectively. The holder 29 has at its lower end. the usual needle-socket and clamping screw 35 for theneedle 36, and at its'vupper end the needle-holder has a pointed lug 37 bearing inthe recess 28, .Y 'Figs 2 and G.

The Afour fingers have threaded through them at theirouter ends `concave centrally aperturedy spring 42. V.The

four screws 38, the rounded upper ends of which bear 1n shallow recesses in the undersides of the four .spring-arms.VVV Locknuts are provided to lock these screwsv inA adjusted position.

.Below the needle-holder lingers 31, :32, 33, 34, and'encircling-but out ofcontactV with the downwardly .extending portion Vof ,the needle-'holder is a centrally apertured disk-shaped carrier 40 firmly mounted onj the ',four members 25, as by means of lugs 41, and between the disk and the needle:- holder fingers is adishedfor downwardly Y 'latter atl its center bearsl againstthe fins.

gers of the needle-holder, and Vhas .fo-ur radial extensions or fingers bearing on the disk or carrier AL() near the edge thereof.

Itwill therefore be seen that the ,needle holder floats, as it were, on the carrier 10 andthat its four fingers31, 32,33, 341 are held (throughgthemedium of thescrews 38) in. connection with the foury spring arms 19,7y

20, 21,22. Y Y y L Assume now thatlthe sound-box is in the positionl shownin solid lines in Fig. 1, and that the needle is in the hill-and-dale groove of-a disk record'. Asv the groove passes under theV needle the undulations of the grooveVv vibratev the needle and needle-holder in the general' direction of the small arrows in Fig. 1. In this vibratory movement :the

l needle holder operates like a bell-crank lever fulcrumed on the lug 37 and the twov screws 38 which lie inthe plane transverse l tothe record groove, while the linger 33,

Eigs. 1 and 2,;'fleXes the spring-arm 21 idly. At the same time the finger 31 fiebres the sound-arm 19 Vandthereby vibrates the dia.- phragm. If a laterally-'cut record is in use,

` the needleliolder vibrates in a .plane perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, on` arms 19, 21, and stud 27 asv bearings,while finger 32 aetuates. soundarm 20l (thereby.

vibrating the diaphragm) and Y fleXes A arm 22 idly. It w'illythus be seen that the playing yor operative Vposition of the sound-box is' invariable, that the sound-box is not Yshifted or alteredl i'n-fposition, nor does it have to be adjusted or the needle, needleholder or any other part shifted to play differenttypes of records; though 'of course aneedl'e-or stylus ofappropriate shape will be Vused with records requiring a ballor round-pointed needle; "It will also be seen .Y

that the needle can rock or vibratein eitherof two planes Vwhich are perpendicular to the diaphragm and that inV eachease theA vibrations ofthe needle-holderl arertransmitted to the diaphragm inpsuch manner as to yact on the latter inra direction yperpendicular thereto. Or, Vstated otherwise, the needle-holderV can vibrate in the plane of, and thereby actuate,v either sound-arm,

and f when vibrating transversely to the' plane of one ofthe arms vit'actuates the other arm, and vice versa. Y v i Y Y It is to be understoodthat the invention is Y not limited tothe specific construction here-Y in illustrated and described but can be embodied inv other forms without" departureV from its spirit.l

Y. Il claim.

. 1.,.A .soundb`ox forlphonographs, com-'I prising a diaphragm chamber, a diaphragm, Y

aneedle-holder', means carried by the diaphragm chamber and supporting the needle-V holder cowaxiallywith thediaphragm, and .Y connecting .means Y, between the diaphrag'mf and the needle-holder enabling the latter to vibrate laterallybr vertically andthereby play a laterally cut or a hill-and-dale record without shifting or .adjustment` of the sound-,box or any of itsfparts. Y 2. A phonographic Vsound-boxhaving a invariable playing position and, providedV with a diaphragm, a needle-holder cpo-axiallyV actuate one or the. other according tothe.y type of record.` with which the sound-boxV j 4. In aV phonographic soundbozi, a dia-- phra'gm, a pair` ofvibratory, sound-arms connected to vthe ,centerv ofthe vdiaphragm andV extendingKV radially Yat an angle to: each other, supporting means for .the outer ends of the sound-arms, a needle-holder perpen dicular to n the diaphragman'dmounted to Vvibrate transversely lof either sound-arm, and means connecting the needle-holder to the sound-arms `and enabling the needle-holder Y when vibrating transversely of .either arm to Vvibrate the other arma 5. In a honovra hic sound-box a dia- P s a phragm, a pair of vlbratory sound-arms connected to the center of the diaphragm and extending radially atan angle to each other, and a needle-holder mounted to vibrate transversely of either sound-arm and having diverginq ingers connected to the respective a sound-arms. K

6. In a phonographic sound-box, a diaphragm, a pair of vibratory sound-arms connected to the diaphragm at the center thereof and extending radially at an angle to each other, a pair 'of supporting arms extending radially inward opposite t0 the sound-arms, and a needle-holder having radial fingers connected to the respective Sound-arms and supporting arms.

7. In a phonographic sound-box, a diaphragm, a pair of sound-arms connected t0 the diaphragm at its center and extending radially at an angle to each other in a plane below the diaphragm, a pair of supporting arms extending radially inward opposite to the sound-arms, a carrier below the soundarms and supporting arms, a needle-holder below the carrier and axial to the diaphragm and having radial ngers connected to the respective sound and supporting arms, and a spring support under the radial fingers and suspended from the carrier.

8. In a phonographic sound-box, a diaphragm, a bearing member carried by the diaphragm and having a recess in its outer face, a pair of sound-arms arranged at an angle to each other and having their inner ends in Contact with the bearing member,

in said recess to vibrate the diaphragm, a needle-holder co-axial with the diaphragm, and means connecting the needleho1der with the sound-arms between the inner and outer ends of the latter.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. A

CHARLES l-i. SHAW. 

